What is the current Status of the Milviz KingAir 350i?

[rick celik 1,243]

Yeah really good add on, I have to say it’s very immersive.. I’m just waiting on a update for p3dv5... I did get a sp update notification in my email this morning. 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Ridvan Celik

[Milviz 919]

V5 integration is waiting on the release of LM's hf2.  Right now, there's a lot of ... fixes that need to be done for us to be able to call it stable.

[Soul Rebel 38]

@Milviz Is the analog KA350 still in development?

 

[Milviz 919]

It is... but... it's slow because we're concentrating on the PL-21 birds first

[Nyxx 6,993]

Guy's who own this and with the SP1, is this PMDG - FSL good in terms of depth and immersion or more like QW787-AS etc. I love the King Air but I really need feed back on how good this is. Also do the HSI PDF have 2D pop outs.

Look forward to your feed back.

[Gumerson 73]

24 minutes ago, Nyxx said:

Guy's who own this and with the SP1, is this PMDG - FSL good in terms of depth and immersion or more like QW787-AS etc. I love the King Air but I really need feed back on how good this is. Also do the HSI PDF have 2D pop outs.

Look forward to your feed back.

I bought this plane because someone in other publication asure this was gonna be the fslabs or the GA. My experience is that it's not. I'm installing latest sp1 but didn't take my time to spend openning p3d v4.5 for this plane because I still feel it doesn't deserve my attention. I will try when p3dv5 version arrives, the other times I installed and tested in live streaming and for five tries the experience was completely embarrasing, rolling out, taxing out, loosing one engine and getting the plane on airbone without notice it, bad performance, and a lot of issues and time spent for nothing on my side. It could be a great addon, but for my point of view my answer it's not. Others will say that yes, but when I followed other opinions I got frustrated and dissappointed. Maybe my post won't help too. 

Cheers

[vincentrouleau 71]

IMHO, yes. Missing tutorials on youtube and a Chuck's guide, but for me its in my top list with PMDG/FSL/MajesticQ400 in terms of immersion. Yes it has 2d popups.

... now waiting for the P3DV5 version  😉

[SAS443 1,714]

19 minutes ago, Nyxx said:

Guy's who own this and with the SP1, is this PMDG - FSL good in terms of depth and immersion or more like QW787-AS etc. I love the King Air but I really need feed back on how good this is. Also do the HSI PDF have 2D pop outs.

Look forward to your feed back.

Hard to compare them. KingAir is different than a 65ton airliner. I have had it since december last year and it has improved big time. It's the only reason I still use p3d v4.5.

But compared to FSL the 350i is not as polished. For exampl the Autopilot FMS Nav turn trajectory on most SIDs i fly (overshoots sharp turns). Loc / GS modes of the AP uses default P3D commands, meaning a rather small speed envelope where the Aircraft performs proper tracking.

2d popups for all displays and FMS.

[Nyxx 6,993]

Last 3 replys, a NO a Yes and a bit more in-depth on how it is from SAS443 thank you. Now thinking ...no sure. 

"For exampl the Autopilot FMS Nav turn trajectory on most SIDs i fly (overshoots sharp turns). Loc / GS modes of the AP uses default P3D commands, meaning a rather small speed envelope where the Aircraft performs proper tracking."

That does not sound like a top draw Addon sadly.

[Bushido5 60]

Hello Nyxx,

It's not up to the level of FSL (but what plane is ?) however it is closer to FSL than it is to Carenado, the system are simulated there is plenty to keep you learning.

Also as mentionned it is a king air, not an airbus so there is less automation, still the FMS is plenty usable, you can display the airport chart (if you have a navigraph subscription) or you can do it manually but it is more complicated, Vnav works, AP works, radar works, Tcas works overall the avionics works.

Performance is now ok, it is still a bit heavy on frame but less than the FSL (at a point in time on an intermediate version on my rig performance was worse than the FSL and that's something) now it is no more an issue (on my end at least)

Documentation is still MIA unfortunatly so you have to find an original collins FMS3000 manual. There is one on internet for a cesna citation but it is roughly similar so you can start by that.

A proper tutorial flight documentaion in PDF would have been great and expected given the price tag, that being said after a few flight I'm fairly confortable at flying the thing.

All in all it's a good add on, I bought it recently (like 2 months ago) and I don't regret it, I still think it's a bit pricier but then I compare to the price for a one hour real flight and I smile.

[Starlifter60 83]

I'm really enjoying the 350i, warts and all. And I wanted to say that I much MUCH prefer dealing with a developer who throws a new update at me every few days than a developer who takes your coin and then forgets how to work the email thingie. While this bird doesn't have an FSL or PMDG level of "perfection", it's one helluva addon for the money. And having a team that actually listens to buyer's inputs and then updates accordingly is a real plus for me. Big kudos to team Milviz, keep up the great work!

Brian 

 

[qqwertz 770]

1 hour ago, Gumerson said:

... tested in live streaming and for five tries the experience was completely embarrasing, rolling out, taxing out, loosing one engine and getting the plane on airbone without notice it, bad performance, and a lot of issues and time spent for nothing on my side.

Well, that just shows how well it is made. You actually can wreck the engines, get into trouble with pressurization and so on. The same happened to me initially, and it took me a few flights to figure out how to fly the plane without getting into trouble. By now, I can comfortably fly it under almost any conditions. 

Manual/documentation: Yes, the user guide is relatively sparse, but it has almost all information that one would need to perform a flight properly. Some information is missing, but that is only due to Beechcraft copyright, not because Milviz is lazy. In addition, there are some good Youtube videos that teach you how to deal with this machine, starting from cold and dark. Links to these videos, as well as some (not a lot) additional performance data, are provided in the user forum. 

Is the KA 350 on a level with FSL/PMDG? A small turboprop is not as complex a machine as a major airliner, so there are certainly fewer pages in the PL-21 FMS than in that of the A320. However, I have the impression that all systems are modelled almost as well as they could be. There are a number of real KA 350 pilots on the user forum, including a very helpful KA 350 instructor. Their comments seem to indicate that the plane is pretty close to the real thing. Not perfectly, but most limitations are caused by the limitations of P3D.

Performance: I don't have the greatest hardware, but the 350 flies very well on my system, with frame rates consistently above 30 and normally 50-60. Only at major airports does the fps drop to about 20. This is much better than the FSL A320, which is not flyable at major airports and only gets to maybe 20-25 fps over the open sea. I much prefer the KA 350 over that jet.

I think the best comparison to the KA350 are to Majestic Dash 8 and to PMDG Jetstream 4100. I would say that the KA350 compares favourably even to the Q400, but only because the graphics of the Q400 are a little older by now. When it comes to systems, both planes are fairly similar. The same would be true for the Jetstream if it was available for P3D, and that comparison is based on old and very fond memories of the plane when I still flew it in FSX. 

Peter

 

[SAS443 1,714]

13 minutes ago, qqwertzde said:

I would say that the KA350 compares favourably even to the Q400

I don't agree with this at all. The Q400 is leaps ahead (not counting the graphics), but that does not mean b350i is not enjoyable.

[vcarlo 529]

I have flown the MV KA 350i since release in Dec 19.  There is a definite learning curve and there are a couple of good video tutorials on line and still in development.  However the aircraft comes with extensive checklists (including engine starts via GPU or battery only).  The forum has been very very active with inputs from RW KA350 pilots and Milviz has been very receptive to making changes as recommended by these pilots.  As my issues with the 350 performance have been VERY minor, I am not sure why many users report problems with startups, taxiing, take-offs, engines out, CTDs, etc etc .  The issues I have experienced are mainly due to pilot error and failure to properly maintain ITT temps, cabin pressure, etc.  This aircraft requires a proper length of time in the captain's seat and learning her.  I agree the documentation for this price point is insufficient, and I have faith that will improve.

Overall , I am very satisifed with the 350's performance and anticipate many years of enjoyment.  My comparison of this plane is not to PMDG, FSL, Aerosoft or other airliners.  In the world of flight sim twin turbos, she can stand on TOP and proudly wear the crown we all once gave to Real Air's DUKE ! 👑

[BMW969 126]

Great aircraft and great responsive support. Waiting for him in P3Dv5